1.5 million reasons to find solutions for renters and landlords

Click here to listen to my CBC Victoria “On the Island” interview on Rental Housing Task Force.

Balancing landlord and tenant rights

I am pleased to join the Rental Housing Task Force. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson wants the task force to look into the Residential Tenancy Act and seek ways to balance landlord and tenant rights with the goal of increasing the rental housing stock.

These are complex issues. There are 1.5 million renters in the province and an overwhelming housing crisis in many communities in British Columbia. Given that, I embrace the challenge of this task force and I am hopeful that we can put forward solutions that are respectful of peoples rights, reasonable and measureable.

Residential tenancy task force

Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra-Herbert, Courtenay-Comox MLA, Ronna-Rae Leonard and myself are part of the bi-partisan task force. Additionally, Spencer has also been appointed as Premier John Horgan’s Advisor on Residential Tenancy. In broad strokes our mission is,

• Consulting the public, landlords, tenants and stakeholders on their views and experiences with current tenancy laws and processes within the rental industry;
• Identifying options to improve security and fairness for both renters and landlords, while addressing the challenges of affordability;
• A review of the existing laws and how they apply to different housing models; and
• A review of innovative approaches in other jurisdictions.

During the press conference announcing the task force Premier Horgan left everything on the table. As a result, we can explore all the opportunities and find solutions that are effective. I will work to address all aspects of the challenges in all regions of our Province.

Finding solutions for Saanich North and the Islands

Each community is unique. As the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, I have had first hand experience with this. From the three municipalities and four First Nations on the Saanich Peninsula to the southern islands in the Salish Sea, we are going to have to be creative.

I took on this challenge because rental housing, housing affordability and the sustainability of our communities are very much issues in our riding. I felt this would be an excellent opportunity to dig in deeper to find solutions for the broader context but also for my own constituency.

There is a lot more to come on this topic. The task force has yet to meet to set out our work plan and schedule. Rest assured, I will continue to provide updates as we proceed.

View the BC Newsroom press release on the announcement of the Task Force.

Listen to the CBC radio interview with Gregor Craigie about the Task Force.